Means for effecting combustion.



' ITO. 787,725 PATENTED APR. 18, 1905. W. J. OARTWRIGHT.v

MEANS FOR EPFBGTING COMBUSTION.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27. 1899.

a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR No. 787,725. 7 PATENTBD APR. 18, 1905.

r w. J. GARTWRIGHT.

MEANS FOR EPFEGTING COMBUSTION.

APP LIOATION FILED FEB. 27, 1899.

a SHEETS-SHEET -2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR ATTORNEY PATENTED APB. 18,1905.

W. J. GARTWRIGHT. MEANS FOR BPFEGTING COMBUSTION.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27. 1899.

3SHBETS-SHEET a.

A V .1 W n W// L E u W m UNITED STATES Patented April 18, 1905.

PATEN/T OFFICE.

IVILLIAM J. OARTWRIGHT, OF NEVV'YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO FRANK L. WING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MEANS FOR EFFECTING COMBUSTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,725, dated April 18, 1905, Application filed February 2'7, 1899. Serial No. 706,942- 7 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM J. OARTWRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, (whose post-office address is Nos. 446 and 44:8 West Thirteenth street, New York city,)have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Means for Effecting Combustion and for Utilizing the Heat Therefrom, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of devices for utilizing heat from combustion wherein the furnace is supplied with compressed air and the products of combustion are discharged directly into the water in the boiler or steam-generator; and the object of the invention is to improve the details of construction in order to better adapt them to practical requirements. These features will be hereinafter described, and the novel fea-' tures carefully defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings an embodiment of the invention is illustrated as applied to a steam-generator.

1n the drawings, Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic general view, on a small scale, showing the boiler in longitudinal vertical mid-section. Fig. 2 is a front end elevation of the boiler. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section of the boiler. Fig. 4: is a sectional view of the hand-hole cover in the furnace head or front. Fig. 5 is a detached view of the device for elevating and lowering the grate. Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views, on a relatively large scale, of the distributer and check valve. Figs. 8 and 9 are sectional views of the furnace head or front. Figs. 10 and 10 illustrate a modified form of the boiler and show how liquid fuel may be used, and Fig. 11 is asection of a furnace adapted for using gas and represented independent of means for utilizing the hot gases.

In the application of the invention herein shown, A is a boiler of the kind commonly callec Scotch boiler, it being of cylindrical form and havingin it acylindrical furnace or combustion-chamber B, set with its axis eccentric to that of the boiler-shell. On the boiler is the usual dome O. D is the main steam-supply pipe, and a is-the safety-valve. The boiler may also be furnished with a water-gage b, steam-gage c. manhole cl, and muddrum efor blowing off the sediment.

E is a fuel-magazine from which fuel is fed to the furnace by means of an automatic stoker F, which may be of any approved kind. The mechanism for driving the screw of the stoker is not shown, as such mechanism is known.

In thefurnace-chamber is a grate G, preferably hinged at its rear or inner end, sothat it may be raised to an inclined position for use or at will lowered, so as to afford access for cleaning through a-hand-holef. The grate may be raised and lowered by means of a toggle 9, Figs. 1 and 5, under it, the knuckle of the toggle being coupled to any suitable operating-rod g, which plays through the furnace-head. The hand-holes f must be hermetically closed by a cover f or the like.

Air is admitted to the furnace under the grate G by an air-pipe H from acompressedair holder I, which is supplied by an aircompressor J. The air admitted to the furnace under the grate may be distributed, if desired, by a suitably-perforated cross-pipe h, extending across below the grate. Abranch H of the air-pipe leads compressed air to the I fuel-magazine E. The air-compressor J may be of any approved kind. As here shown it consists of a steam-engine acting directly on the compressingpump and supplied with steam by a branch pipe D. As it is desirable to supply the compressed air to the furnace hot, the exhaust from the air-compressing engine may be passed through a pipe or coil in the holder I, as shown inFig. 1, wherein K is the exhaust-pipe leading the exhauststeam to the holder I, and K is the outlet for the exhaust therefrom.

. L is the feed pump which supplies the boiler with water, the engine thereof being supplied with steam by a branch pipe D Thewater is supplied to the pump by a pipe 2' and flows to the boiler by a pipe j.

At the inner end of the furnace-chamber B, which does not extend to the rear end of the shell A, is the outlet-pipe 75 for the products of combustion, and at and controlling this outlet is a multiple-way cock on, by which the gases under pressure may be directed into the water in the boiler or to an outlet-stack M at will. On the extremity of the outlet pipe or nozzle k beyond the cock at is a distributer N, which will be hereinafter more particularly described.

The boiler maybe divided by a transverse partition, 0, situated at or near the rear end of the furnace B and supporting thesame. This partition need not fit tightly in the boiler-shell, as it is not intended to separate the boiler-shell absolutely. Above the waterline this partition has perforations 0 to allow of the free flow of steaml The operation of the apparatus is as follows: In starting the fire the cover of the handholef is removedand the grateGr is let down. A fire is kindled on the grate and the latter elevated to the inclined position. The valve n is turned so as to direct the products of combustion to the pipe M and the fire allowed to get under way. As soon as it gets well ignited the hand-hole f is closed, the valve m turned, and compressed air from the holder or reservoir turned on. The pressure increases in the furnace, and steam is quickly generated. The stoker F, the air-compressor J, and feed-pump L are set in motion. Referring now to the distributer l, (seen detached in Figs. 6 and 7,) it will be seen that this is a nozzle having numerous lateral outlets a, and within this nozzle is a check-valve closing the gas-outlet pipe k. The stem of this valve plays through and is guided in the capplate of the nozzle. The object of this device is to break up the column of gases and reduce the agitation of the water. The fire under the'infiuence of compression burns fiercely in the fire-box, the products of combustion passing directly into the water of boiler through the distributer N, thus utilizing all of the heat developed from combustion. The pressure in the furnace will always exceed that in the boiler, and the difference, whether it be one, two, or more pounds, may be nicely regulated. The oxygen of the air entering the furnace through the pipe H and the carbon of the coal or other fuel fed to the furnace may be regulated also in such a manner as to provide the proper combining proportions. The relative pressures in the boiler and furnace will also be maintained automatically while the apparatus is in operation. The solid matter from the fuel, such as ash, carried into the boiler will collect at the rear end thereof and may be blown off at the muddrum. The gases from the furnace will pass off with the steam. Obviously as no heated gases can pass to the atmosphere after the furnace is in operation their heat, as well as the heat of the furnace-wall, must be communicated directly to the water and utilized for generating steam. As the internal and external pressure on the walls of the furnace will be nearly equal, no undue strains will be thrown on these walls, which may be corrugated, as shown, or plain.

The furnace-head (seen enlarged in Figs. 8 and 9) may be a casting and hollow, having pipes r, Fig. 2, connecting the hollow or space therein with the water in the boiler, so that this head becomes a water-leg. This is to enable it to withstand the high temperature.

The furnace is herein shown as adapted for burning solid fuel; but obviously it is not limited in this respect, as liquid or gaseous fuels may be burned as well, the principle of the inventionviz., producing combustion under pressure and passing the gaseous products of the combustion directly into a liquid to be vaporizedbeing attained with fuel in any form.

Fig. 10 is a sectional elevation of a furnace and boiler wherein liquid fuel (as aliquid hydrocarbon) is employed. In this figure, F represents the pipe by which the liquid fuel is fed under pressure and in properly-regulated quantity to the furnace, and H is the pipe which leads compressed air to the furnace. WVithin the furnace is shown a converter P, of some refractory material, into which the liquid fuel is led by a refractory tube .9. This converter may be conveniently a perforated shell of fire-clay packed loosely with asbestos. This figure also illustratesanother form Ofdistributer for the hot gaseous products of combustion. In lieu of the distributer N of Figs. 1, 6, and 7 a series of small outlets a are formed in the back or inner end of the furnace and each closed by a clack or check valve n. Fig. 10 is a face view of the rear end of the furnace, showing a row of thesesmall valve-controlled outlets.

Fig. ll illustrates a furnace for using combustible gas and. air, both under pressure and fed in proper combining proportions to the furnace. As here shown, the furnace is not submerged and should therefore be lined with fire-brick or like refractory material. the gas-supply pipe, and H the pipe for supplying compressed air. The hot gases of combustion are led away at a gas-outlet pipe N to any point required. The necessary back pressure at the gas-outlet may be effected by a suitable valve V. The gases of combustion under pressure from the pipe N may be employed for metallurgical or other purposes.

Air will naturally be employed as a supporter of combustion in a furnace of this kind by reason of its cheapness; but any gaseous supporter of the combustion of carbon would be an equivalent therefor and be included within the scope of this invention. The furnace will be closed to the atmospherethat is to say, it will be so closed that a gaseous pressure will always be attainable therein far in excess of the pressure of the atmosphere. This result is efiected by providing a back pressure at the gas-outlet; but this pressure will be normally a little less than the internal pressure, so that the gases of combustion may escape as formed.

It should be understood that while only the exhaust-steam from the air-compressor J is shown in Fig. 1 as being utilized to heat the compressed air in the holder I this is only used as an illustration. Obviously the exhaust from any engine may be used as well. The higher the temperature of the compressed air the better will be the results, and if this heating be effected by the exhaust-steam a distinct gain is effected.

The rear and front portions of the boiler are connected by a pipe y" to allow the water to flow freely from the front to the rear portion, and there may be in this pipe a check valve to prevent the backflow of the water.

It will be noted that the fuel and air are both supplied continuously and automatically to the furnace; but it has not been deemed necessary to show means for automatically proportioning the supply of each, as the invention is not limited in this respect.

Having thus described my invention, I claim l. The combination with a furnace closed to the atmosphere and having means for effecting back pressure at its gas-outlet, of a compressed-air holder, a pipe therein for exhaust-steam, an engine having its exhaust connected with said pipe, a pipe connecting said holder with said furnace for supplying compressed air to same, and means for supplying fuel automatically to said furnace in regulated quantity, substantially as set forth. 2. The combination with the boiler A, of the furnace or combustion-chamber B, therein and closed to the atmosphere, the gas-outlet 70, from said chamber opening into the boiler below the water-level therein, the pipe M, the multiple-way valve in said outlet k, the pipe H, for introducing compressed air to said chamber B, and a stoking device for feeding fuel to said furnace automatically, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name, this 25th day of February, 1899, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM J. OARTWRIGHT. Witnesses:

HENRY CoNNE'r'r, PETER A. Ross. 

